Eddy Clearwater

Tall, slender left-hander Eddy Clearwater, initially written off by traditionalists as a faithful Chuck Berry copyist, later earned credit as a foundational figure in the development of West Side Chicago blues guitar. His sets often mixed in playful antics such as duck-walking or spirited covers of “Shout” for college crowds, reflecting the broad range of styles he absorbed. Elements of gospel, country, 1950s rock, and raw blues all fed into his sharp, aggressive playing. When focused on the blues, the performer known as “The Chief”—a moniker earned from his habit of wearing Native American headdresses during shows—ranked among the city’s strongest practitioners.

Born Eddy Harrington, he left Birmingham, Alabama, for Chicago in 1950 and began working the South and West Sides under the name Guitar Eddy. His uncle, Rev. Houston H. Harrington, owned the small Atomic-H imprint and gave him an early recording chance; the results included the shimmering minor-key instrumental “A-Minor Cha Cha” and the Berry-flavored “Hillbilly Blues,” both later anthologized by Delmark on Chicago Ain’t Nothin’ But a Blues Band.

Drummer Jump Jackson coined the stage name Clear Waters as a playful nod to Muddy Waters. Under that billing, Clearwater cut the strong Berry-styled “Cool Water” for Jackson’s LaSalle label. By 1961, when he traveled to Cincinnati to record the upbeat car-themed “I Was Gone,” the cheerful “A Real Good Time,” and the topical “Twist Like This” for Federal Records under producer Sonny Thompson, he was using the name Eddy Clearwater. Work remained scarce for years afterward, forcing occasional rock and country gigs whenever blues opportunities vanished.

The 1980 Rooster Blues album The Chief, widely regarded as an outstanding effort, signaled the start of his climb to prominence in Chicago blues circles. Over the following decade he issued two further sets for Rooster Blues, added Help Yourself on Blind Pig in 1992 and Mean Case of the Blues on his reactivated Cleartone label in 1996, then continued with Cool Blues Walk in 1998, Chicago Daily Blues in 1999, and Reservation Blues in 2000.

Renowned for high-energy live shows whose chief aim was audience enjoyment, Clearwater joined fellow entertainers Los Straitjackets for the 2003 Rounder release Rock ’n’ Roll City and, five years afterward, made his debut Alligator recording West Side Strut. He kept performing until his death in June 2018, delivering a final appearance at Buddy Guy’s Legends only weeks earlier.